Voice Over FAQ.

A voiceover is person who can convey and tell a story, connect with people an audiences in such a way that they are engaged, transformed to another place, entertained and moved by the voiceover talent and skill. The voiceover stands behind a microphone in a home or professional studio reading aloud a script whilst being recorded. Their brief is different every time, with a fit for purpose objective. A good voiceover will reach their audience each time, capturing the essence of the brand, the scene, the feel that the actor is there to facilitate.

You would get the services of a voiceover to reach and engage your clients. This could be through advertisements, websites, phone messaging, animation/cartoons, narration on a documentary, e-learning and audio books anything that requires a voice even sports commentating.

A voiceover needs to be versatile and adaptable for you are doing a variety of jobs; for it’s not just about speaking into a microphone. Unless of course you are a celebrity and have an agent, studio team, marketing team. You have to be able to have marketing, business, accounting/bookkeeping, editing skills as well being a self-director and possess time management skills. The sort of jobs that you can do is radio/TV commercials, audio books, e-learning, animation/cartoons, on hold messaging, corporate narration, narration, in-store announcements, pod casts intro’s and exits. MC work, movie trailers/previews, website tutorials/introductions.

As a voiceover not long but have studied extensively and have taken different voiceover courses in Melbourne. I have 7 years acting experience having worked at Kryal Castle/Ballarat. I’ve created and continue to become a variety of different characters whilst role-playing Dungeons and Dragons for which I’ve played over the past 20+ years.

Upon arrival you will meet the casting directors, the audio engineers and sometimes the clients. There are times when the Audio Engineers are also the Casting Directors but not often. These people make you sound good. The Casting Director will direct and instruct you on your lines, to ensure that the client brief is executed as expected. At times you may meet the client either in person or through the window of the booth. The Casting Director who provided you with the script (at times you don’t get the script beforehand). This is where you get a quick mumble read whilst walking to the booth and inside the booth as the Audio Engineer comes in and sets up the microphone in position for you. When everyone is ready, the casting director will give you the signal to begin. There will be times when in the booth you will be cut off via the earphones and/or speakers. You’ll see the key people behind the window talking. Don’t fret, this is normal as they are talking about the technical side of things. Remember to have fun. Remember that they called you in because they want you to succeed.

If you work from home you will have your media and recording tools in place. There will be times when you will have a skype session whilst recording, whilst simultaneously being recorded in another studio via a phone link. Again a little bit daunting but you will get used to it. The wonders of technology. Otherwise the reading of the script will come in hard copy or in e-format. Upon the completion of the script you will need to self-direct and check its accuracy to achieve high standards every time prior to any editing. The editing aspect of the process can be very time consuming. So be patient. You must ensure that the “being human aspects such as your breaths and mistakes” are edited out. You don’t want to run the risk of being perceived as unprofessional. In regards to the background, make sure that you record in a quiet place like your wardrobe or fit out a room with acoustic foam. If you can afford it invest in an isolation voice over booth. Once you have perfected your brief, there may be a good chance the client may send your audio recording back for further work. Do not reflect on this negatively, it is part of the creative journey and a great opportunity to set your benchmarking even higher.

You need to have a demo, a short recording of yourself executing different type of reads, and of standard that one would expect in the voiceover industry. A good example of a demo is a 15-30 second grab for a radio commercial or a couple of paragraphs from a book becoming a number of characters, personalities and narration. Until you have the necessary skills, your demo should be created by a professional. They provide you with the guidance, quality and expertise that a client would expect when considering a large range of talent. There are self-help books and courses that can teach you how to begin in the profession however if you are planning on becoming a full time professional you must register for voiceover courses, webinars and other educational forums that are available within the industry. YouTube being another great resource in receiving guidance from those in the industry.

Most people start out as a voiceover part time in order to supplement their income. As they receive more work the better voiceover talent may transition into full time positions. There are those who make a great living in being a voiceover, ranging from anything like $50 thousand or above. Those in the well above bracket range with a 6-figure+ income are either celebrities or very well regarded within the industry. It also depends on the job, the location and duration of the work. To be successful in the voiceover industry you must be persistent and have patience as well as having a thick skin as getting used to rejection is part of the industry.

The beauty of being a voiceover actor is it doesn’t matter what you look like as long as you can read the script and be able to take direction. A voiceover must be a chameleon and able to perform a good variety of roles. It is not just about being able to speak into a microphone. A voiceover must be prepared and able to market the voice, possess good business skills and accounting skills not to mention technical skills in audio editing, management and understanding of other audio software programs and capabilities as a self-director and great time management.

The variety of jobs that one can do in this career are diverse. Everyday changing technology along-side with more traditional mediums such as radio & TV commercials are up for grabs. Some great examples of this are general narration, audio books, e-learning, animation, cartoons, corporate phone messaging, corporate narration, in-store announcements, pod cast intro’s and exits, MC work, movie trailers & previews, website tutorials & introductions the list is endless.

First you will need a fantastic, top notch demo showcasing your diversity, breadth of talents perfectly executed. This should be done by a professional studio, if you are just getting into the voiceover industry. Then you will have to look for jobs – get out there and market yourself. This can be done via P2P (pay to play) sites or looking through the internet for work. Voice over agencies or work advertised on forums such as fiveer are a great place to start. Remember when you audition for a job to use a watermark with your name before or after the read. This is ensuring your intellectual property is protected.